Being injured in an 18-wheeler accident can have catastrophic effects on your life. Large trucks are often hidden behind blind spots and travel at much higher speeds than your average car. As such, 18-wheeler accidents often result in severe injuries that require long-term medical care and extended periods of missing work. These accidents can also lead to the wrongful death of loved ones.
Our Palm Coast 18-wheeler truck accident lawyers can handle the legal legwork while you recover from your injuries.
Negligence Can Cause an 18-Wheeler Truck Accident
Some truck accidents happen due to the truck driver’s negligence. Sometimes, even the trucking company can be directly liable for an accident, such as when employees fail to properly secure cargo.
Here are more details about the most common causes of 18-wheeler truck accidents:
- Driver fatigue because many of them spend lots of time on the road and may work for more than 60 hours per week
- Speeding can increase a truck’s stopping distance, resulting in rear-end collisions with other cars
- Failure to perform truck inspections and maintenance
- Defects in the manufacturing process
- Blowouts on tires
- Installation defects
- Worn-out brakes
Truck drivers must get enough rest and sleep before getting back on the road again to prevent fatigue from affecting work performance. Truck drivers must also follow all road rules, including speed limits, at all times to avoid accidents.
18-Wheeler Truck Accidents Can Lead to Severe Injuries
An 18-wheeler accident, also known as a semi-truck or big rig truck accident, is a devastating event. The injuries and damages caused by these accidents can impact victims for the rest of their lives.
Unlike other car accidents, those involving 18-wheeler trucks are very catastrophic because of the following reasons:
- They transport heavy loads. An 18-wheel truck weighs 80,000 pounds or 400 tons when fully loaded. It implies that the average car weighs roughly 2,700 pounds or a little more than 1 ton. That means 18-wheelers are 400 times heavier than most automobiles on the road. When they collide with other vehicles, their huge weight frequently results in significant injuries, extensive property damage, and, regrettably, tragic deaths.
- They’re the world’s biggest automobile. An 18-wheeler can carry up to four trailers and be up to 176 feet long. That means the 18-wheeler next to you on the highway is more than half a football field long and more than ten times the length of a typical vehicle. Drivers will find it challenging to avoid colliding as they traverse severe bends, turns, merges, expressway exits, and tight streets due to the length of the vehicle.
- They need more time and space to stop. An 18-wheeler takes roughly 40% longer to slow down or ultimately come to a stop than a smaller car. Many drivers who follow 18-wheelers are unaware of the distance they should leave between their vehicle and the truck in front of them, increasing the likelihood of accidents happening.
- They have a lot of blind spots. Unlike a car, hatchback, SUV, minivan, or pickup truck, 18-wheelers don’t have a back windshield. As a result, 18-wheeler truckers must rely on their rearview mirrors to see what is behind them, yet due to the truck and trailer’s large size, there are significant blind areas.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), around 4,000 people die every year because of these accidents, while another 100,000 sustain serious injuries.
Determining the Value of Your Compensation
As a victim, the compensation you’re entitled to in an 18-wheeler accident depends on the specifics of your case. To determine your claim’s value after an 18-wheeler accident case, an attorney from our firm will look at the following factors:
- The extent of your injuries
- The size of any property damage
- Any lost wages resulting from the accident
- Whether you suffered a permanent disability
- Whether there was gross negligence on behalf of the trucking company
We can advocate on your behalf and protect your rights to compensation.
Types of Damages You Can Claim
All medical expenses caused by accident are compensable, including hospitalization fees, emergency room costs, ambulance charges, surgical procedures and equipment costs, medication costs, and physical therapy costs.
If you were unable to attend work for some time due to injury from the accident and lost income because of it, then your lost wages are also compensable. The amount of loss depends upon several factors, like occupation type (salaried or hourly), employer type (private or government), and age.
You can also get compensation for property damage, such as damage to your vehicle or personal property, and other non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, or wrongful death, if a loved one dies as a result of the accident.
Contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine for Legal Help
If you’ve been involved in an 18-wheeler accident in Palm Coast, it’s essential to know your legal rights and take action. The Palm Coast 18-wheeler truck accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you build a watertight case and strive to get you a deserving compensation. Call us today at 1-800-747-3733 for a free case review and legal help.
We Can Help.
